ASSOCIATE Justice Diosdado Peralta on Monday claimed that there was favoritism in the clustering method done by Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno in the shortlist of candidates for vacancies in judiciary.
it is “very clear” that there was favoritism in the “clustering” method done by Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno in the short-list of the Judicial and Bar Council to appoint members of the Supreme Court.
“Very clear, [there is favoritism] in the clustering method. This is [also] repeated in other recommendations of the JBC,” Peralta said as the House of Representatives resumed hearings to determine if the impeachment complaints filed against Sereno has probable cause.
Peralta said the clustering was done by taking a “favorite candidate” and “clustering” him or her into a group of names filled with the “weak” candidates. He said Associate Justice Geraldine Econg as one of those who were favored and filled one of the six vacancies as a justice in the Sandiganbayan.
Peralta also slammed the claim of Sereno that several justices waived their right to vote on the short-list of the Judicial and Bar Council.
“[That claim] is very shady. It is a privilege that I will not surrender. [The voting] is already a practice. I was shocked. [We] were pre-empted from nominating a candidate for the position of a Justice in the Supreme Court,” Peralta said.
“This I can say with certainty- when we were inside the room [for the meeting], not one justice inside waived [his right to vote on the short-list]. I did not agree to take that away,” he added.
Peralta said during the time of former Chief Justice Renato Puno, their opinion on the nominees were always taken.
According to the impeachment complaint of Larry Gadon, the clustering method done by Sereno was “totally new and unprecedented.”